Class
A class is a role assigned to a player. It dictates their role in the game and their powers. It is one part of the player titles, the other being the Aspect. There are 12 known Classes. Classes describe mechanics and intended roles, "channeling" the Aspect into possible action and powers. They come in active(-)/passive(+) pairs, with the active employing or affecting his aspect directly and for his own gain, and the passive being affected by his aspect, and sharing his actions with the team. UranianUmbra of this dichotomy with the Rogue/Thief pairing (Thieves steal to benefit themselves, Rogues are Robin Hoods), and the Bard/Prince pairing (Princes destroy their aspect or use it to destroy things, Bards allow the aspect to be destroyed, or bring destruction through the aspect). UU also explains that some of the classes tend to be assigned to males or females, some going as far as being exclusive to a certain gender. A few class mechanics were explicitly explained, others implied: Seer The Seer is a support and coordinator class. According to Aradia, they understand their aspect comprehensively, which makes them quite prescient in respect to their aspect (i.e., Terezi knows all consequences of individual actions, Rose knows the "most fortuitous path", and what happens in it). It could be surmised that the Seer class is defined as "one who benefits others with their knowledge pertaining to their aspect". also states that Seers will keep their party from making grave mistakes, as if they had a strategy guide for Sburb imprinted deep in their mind.Given these descriptions one could also surmise that the Seer is a passive (+) class. Knight Aradia that Knights are warriors that exploit their aspect as a weapon. Dave has so far saved the lives of every single member of his team, such as resetting the timeline to save John and Jade, and rescuing Rose from the Draconian Dignitary near the end of act five. Karkat is less successful in the role despite his best efforts. He does, however, manage to defuse the , which would have doubtlessly killed one or more of his surviving friends. From this and the traditional definition of the role of a knight one could speculate that the Knight serves as a protector for other players in the session. Given these speculations, one could surmise that the definition of the Knight class is "one who manipulates their aspect as a weapon in order to protect others". It is unclear where that leaves them on the active/passive axis, although it may indicate that the Knight is a passive class. The fact that the Heir class is most likely to be an active class, further supports the speculation of Knight being a passive class. The Page, as a young squire or assistant to a knight, is also speculated to be the passive counterpart to the active Knight. However, both perspectives are pure conjecture at this point. The Knight may also have something to do with breeding the Genesis Frog, since in both sessions so far, the Knight has assisted the Hero of Space in the breeding. The Knight seems to be a class usually or exclusively assigned to male players. Rogue/Thief This pair of passive/active classes deal with stealing, and turning the others' powers against them. While the active Thief will steal things to their own benefit, the passive Rogue will enhance their teammates, or their session with the stolen aspect. Vriska, as the Thief of Light, is able to steal luck from her allies or enemies, and make herself luckier. Roxy, as the Rogue of Void, is said to black-out her entire session in the future, presumably via sharing the black-out with her teammates. Meenah, as the Thief of Life, "stole" her friends' lives (by killing them) so they could continue to exist after the scratch. The idea of the black-out may or may not have anything to do with Rose going Grimdark. These classes are often assigned to female players, but not exclusively. Bard/Prince These classes deal with destruction. The Prince, as the active, is literally simplified to "destroyer of aspect" or "one who destroys via aspect". Bards are somewhat stranger, in that they "allow destruction of aspect" or "invite destruction through aspect". The Bard is also quite the wildcard; unpredictable by nature and thus equally likely to help or hinder his party, often to great effect. In extreme cases they are either single-handedly responsible for their party's massive downfall, their improbable victory, or sometimes even both. Eridan, as the Prince of Hope, killed a lot of his teammates and destroyed the Matriorb, the trolls' hope of survival of their race. While unconfirmed, evidence seems to indicate that the "white science" powers he used were actually his aspect, Hope, being used as an attack. If this is the case, then Princes may be able to channel their aspect into its physical form for destructive purposes. Dirk, the Prince of Heart, literally 'destroyed heart' as he killed the Hegemonic Brute (Hearts Boxcars). Gamzee, as the Bard of Rage, could enter some sort of berserk mode, causing deep fear in everyone around, and becoming exceptionally strong. When he did he was surrounded by a strange purple lightning which turned red later, and may have been Rage itself considering the purple colours of his God Tier robes. This suggests that Bards can use their Aspect to improve their own abilities and possibly others. Later on he allows his Rage to be destroyed by Karkat, and sets a trap for Terezi that, by inspiring Rage against Vriska, invites her to commit destruction. He has been seen in God Tier clothing while in possession of Aradia's music box time machines, suggesting that like the jokerkind strife specibus can use other weapons, Bards can use powers of other aspects in addition to their own. Bards and Princes are exclusively assigned to male players. The God tier outfit for Princes seems to consist of pantaloons and a crown, much like an ordinary prince, despite the class's non-literal nature. It should be noted that, in a somewhat related circumstance, the God Tier outfit of the Bard class comes standard with a clown-like form better suiting a jester and MASSIVE codpiece, which is a highly likely reference to "Bard Quest", one of Hussie's previous adventures. Sylph The Sylph is a healer class. As a Sylph of Light, Aranea healed primarily by helping people to see things, both figuratively and literally. In the figurative sense, she focused on helping people to heal from psychological wounds. In the literal sense, she offers to restore Terezi's eyesight for her. Considering the information given it could be speculated to be a passive (+) class, due to "helping others" or "healing others". Kanaya also that a Sylph is "Sort Of Like A Witch But More Magical", meaning that it is possible that the Witch class could be its passive/active counterpart. Sylphs could also be speculated to be a female exclusive class. =Speculation= Witch Based on the actions of Jade (the Witch of Space) and Feferi (the Witch of Life), the definition of the Witch class seems to be "one who manipulates her aspect to the benefit of others". One could surmise that the Witch aspect is passive (+). Two facts to support this theory is that Jade shrunk the planets to escape the Scratch (therefore benefiting everyone inside them), while a doomed alternate timeline Feferi healed WV through a dream bubble. Witches are speculated to be a female exclusive class. Maid Based on the actions of Aradia (the Maid of Time) and Jane (the Maid of Life), one could surmise that the Maid class is defined as "countering/defending against an enemy's attack(s)". Aradia was able to freeze Jack, while Jane was able to heal herself after being stabbed. It is still unknown if Maid is a passive or active class. While the facts above point to active, it should be noted that Aradia was responsible for helping the other trolls defeat the Black King with her time travel abilities, and Jane stayed alive to help her teammates. An alternate theory is that the Maid class is a pun. Thus the Maid class is one that "provides itself with it's aspect", which would make it the active (-) counter part to the page class if the speculation on that is accurate. This would mean that Aradia is literally made of time, and Jane is made of life, supported by the fact that Aradia froze Jack to give her time to escape and Jane gave herself life by healing after being injured. An alternative is that the maid is one that "provides others with their aspect" as the mythology of Jane's planet has her providing life to the the entire world, and the example for Aradia could go either way. This would mean that the Page class does something else however. Maids are speculated to be a female exclusive class. Mage Based on the actions of Sollux (the Mage of Doom) one can surmise that the Mage class may be related to the Seer class, as it also has something to do with a "deep understanding of the aspect". It may also mean "benefits himself/herself with knowledge pertaining to their aspect", though it should be noted that Sollux had concrete visions instead of just knowledge like Rose. Mage can also be synonymous to "given protection from their aspect's ill effects", assuming that Doom has something to do with calamity and death (Sollux had multiple dream selves and being able to exit the dream bubble and only half died). Heir The exact powers of an Heir are unknown. John (the Heir of Breath), however, displays control over the Breeze. Based on the powers of John and Equius (the Heir of Void), a Heir may be "one under the protection of their aspect", or "one who protects themself by using their aspect". John was saved by the Breeze twice before he learned how to willingly use it, and Jack Noir was unable to pick up the source of his scent, as if the Breeze was protecting him. Equius (as well as his ancestor) was given the ability to not be noticed, which can be seen as an effective form of protection. Equius used his fists as his main weapon, which can be interpreted as him using nothing - Void - to fight and defend himself with. Heirs are speculated to be a male exclusive class, and may be the 'Active' equivalent to Knights. Page The powers of the Page class are currently unknown. The Page of Breath, Tavros, was shown exhaling with breath that resembled the Breath symbol when preparing to wake Vriska with a kiss. How this may tie into his class is unknown, although it could mean that a Page is "one who provides others with aspect". Can be speculated as the male equivalent of a Maid, and may be in an active/passive pairing with it. Speculation also points towards a pairing with the Knight class. Dirk (albeit the splintered version of Dirk that exists only within Jake's subconscious) that Pages have a lot of untapped potential and once they find this potential within them they are adept at using it. A Page of Hope is particularly dangerous in this regard, as the imaginary Dirk fears Jake's status as one. Due to the relation in name, Pages are also speculated to be the active counterpart to a Knight, although it may be that page is meant more in the sense of "a blank sheet of paper", referring to the vast potential they have. Category:Homestuck Category:Homestuck Concepts